Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....right David Bowie!
Turn and Face the Stranger
Well, Hello Strangers and Friends!
It's been a long while since I wrote on here. For many reasons but the main one was protecting my peace and within that I had to be cautious of my words. As many of you have gotten to know me over the years, that in itself can be difficult for me.
I think the last three years have taught us many things and one of the ones that I have come to realize is that it's my responsibility to protect my privacy and my boundaries, the first one being a bit harder at times at its not in my nature and well, we live in a small community.
Things have been moving so fast in the floral industry, our community and our lives.
The floral industry has seen an unprecedented volume of weddings and it has thrown a curve ball on availability of white flowers, earthy tones and seasonal florals. All of this has also driven costs of florals through the roof. Which can be hard to understand from a consumers viewpoint.
Roses have been the hardest hit and for some varieties they have doubled in pricing. What it means to the consumer is that we don't stock as many colours any longer, unless they are pre-ordered.
Hard goods, such as glassware has also see a dramatic rise, due to its manufacturing backlogs globally. We've been as resourceful as possible but there have been times when our options are limited and our cost per vase has surpassed even our expectations.
Our Community has had such a great summer though, and it eases the other "floral hard stuff" that we are dealing with. It was a glorious June and July and our September has been one that folklore speaks of.
We've seen some amazing art installations and shows at Heather Haynes Gallery, our Thursday Night Farmers Market has been wonderful and the river has held its spectacular moments of beauty. We've had music at The Amphitheatre, The 1000 Islands Poker Run, Art Days, Saturday's in the Park, so many I can't list them all and let's not forget the amazing theatre shows at The Thousand Islands Playhouse! It truly has been a wonderful summer of culture.
For us our summer always kicks off with our Moonlit Night Fundraiser. This year was our biggest, and last installation for The Thousand Islands Playhouse, which saw our largest donation of 33 thousand dollars to the evening. It was spectacular and exhausting. We happily participated in raising over 150 thousand dollars to The Playhouse which will help them in their expansion and renovations coming in 2024.
For us here at the store, our lives have been trucking along. We've said goodbye to a few staff over the last three years and welcomed some new faces. Isabel spent the summer giving us a hand here at the store and is now back to teaching. Kyra came on board and has been a welcomed gift. Her artistic abilities and genuine friendly spirit, are a great compliment to Tara and I. We've also done some searching and found a wonderful driver, Richard, who takes a lot of the pressure off of us. He also make beautiful charcuterie boards that we now sell in store.
As for Tara, her kids are growing and becoming little humans who we can begin to see their unique personalities and sometimes they will come and help us in the store. Her farm is as busy as usual with eggs, beef, chicken and veggies and we were even able to stock her sunflowers here at the store for a few weeks this summer.
As for my girls, they are away at university and life has changed in a few ways for us, good and different. It definitely gives more time to get some projects done, have more personal time for reflection and appreciate the times when our girls are home with us.
As for the store, well Maggy, yes, she has a nickname, has been growing and changing in different ways then I would have ever imagined. We have parted ways with Annie Sloan and are now discontinuing the Fusion line. We have increased our jewelry inventory with Glee, Unexpectedly Essential and brought on Kyra's line from K.B. Jewelry,
Life and business always intertwines with our community and it has given us a few new lessons. I hope you are all doing well and as always, we love to hear your stories, milestones and successes.
Changes are still in store for us. Change is what helps us grow and we can't wait to see what the rest of fall brings...possibly more blogs/newsletters.
Take care and until next time,
N
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